Albania has voted in favor of Israel's participation in Eurovision, in a decision that has caused strong political clashes and divisions among European countries. After the withdrawal of Spain, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Ireland from the contest, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) officially confirmed Israel's participation.
In the vote held on December 4, the Union's members supported Israel's participation with 738 votes in favor and 264 against. In total, 31 countries voted in favor, 11 against, and 5 abstained.
The list of countries that voted in favor of Israel includes Albania, along with: Andorra, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Georgia, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, North Macedonia, Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Romania, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland and Ukraine.
While voting against Israel's participation were: Algeria, Belgium, Egypt, Iceland, Ireland, Lebanon, Montenegro, Morocco, the Netherlands, Slovenia, Spain, Tunisia, Turkey, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Jordan, Lithuania, Poland and the United Kingdom.
The EBU's decision was accompanied by new rules aimed at limiting direct government intervention in the contest. In parallel with the political debates, there was talk of a possible financial crisis following Spain's departure, but Eurovision director Martin Green stated that the contest remains financially sustainable and that any shortfall could be compensated by the return of some countries next year.
Eurovision 2026 will be held in Vienna, with the semi-finals on May 12 and 14, and the grand final on May 16.
